Lost In America
Blu-ray
Criterion
1985 / 1:85 / Street Date July 25, 2017
Starring: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty
Cinematography: Eric Saarinen
Film Editor: David Finfer
Written by Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson
Produced by Marty Katz and Herb Nanas
Music: Arthur B. Rubinstein
Directed by Albert Brooks
According to a Newsweek cover story published that same year, 1984 was “The Year of the Yuppie”, referring to those ferociously materialistic young professionals whose numbers blossomed during the Reagan administration. The following year director Albert Brooks and his co-writer Monica Johnson delivered Lost In America, an acerbic road movie detailing what happens when one of those upwardly mobile hot-shots decides to get back to nature and “touch Indians”.
The result is one of the great American comedies, a mile-a-minute talk fest worthy of writer-directors like Billy Wilder, Woody Allen and in particular Preston Sturges, whose The Palm Beach Story told a similar tale about two young-marrieds who find...
Blu-ray
Criterion
1985 / 1:85 / Street Date July 25, 2017
Starring: Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty
Cinematography: Eric Saarinen
Film Editor: David Finfer
Written by Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson
Produced by Marty Katz and Herb Nanas
Music: Arthur B. Rubinstein
Directed by Albert Brooks
According to a Newsweek cover story published that same year, 1984 was “The Year of the Yuppie”, referring to those ferociously materialistic young professionals whose numbers blossomed during the Reagan administration. The following year director Albert Brooks and his co-writer Monica Johnson delivered Lost In America, an acerbic road movie detailing what happens when one of those upwardly mobile hot-shots decides to get back to nature and “touch Indians”.
The result is one of the great American comedies, a mile-a-minute talk fest worthy of writer-directors like Billy Wilder, Woody Allen and in particular Preston Sturges, whose The Palm Beach Story told a similar tale about two young-marrieds who find...
- 7/26/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The Criterion Collection will venture to the Zone this July, and much more, as they’ve announced their new titles for the month. Andrei Tarkovsky‘s long-rumored sci-fi masterpiece Stalker will arrive with a new 2K restoration. The release will also include a new interview with author Geoff Dyer and newly translated English subtitles. Also arriving in July is Albert Brooks‘ satirical comedy Lost in America, featuring a new conversation with the director and Robert Weide, as well as interviews with the cast and crew.
One of the most notable releases of the month is Robert Bresson‘s masterful final film L’argent, which tracks a counterfeit bill through Paris, and the people it touches. Lastly, Roberto Rossellini‘s powerful War Trilogy is getting a much-deserved Blu-ray upgrade with new versions of Rome Open City, Paisan, and Germany Year Zero. Check out the high-resolution cover art below and full release details.
One of the most notable releases of the month is Robert Bresson‘s masterful final film L’argent, which tracks a counterfeit bill through Paris, and the people it touches. Lastly, Roberto Rossellini‘s powerful War Trilogy is getting a much-deserved Blu-ray upgrade with new versions of Rome Open City, Paisan, and Germany Year Zero. Check out the high-resolution cover art below and full release details.
- 4/17/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Albert Brooks and Louis C.K. are teaming up for an untitled animated pilot at FX, TheWrap has learned. C.K.’s production company Pig Newton is producing for FX Productions, and both he and Brooks will serve as EPs. The two comedians, who will co-star in the upcoming animated feature “The Secret Life of Pets,” are co-creating, co-writing and providing the two lead voices on the new project, which marks Brooks’ first foray into television. Also Read: Will Smith, Albert Brooks, Paul Reiser Tackle Hard-Hitting 'Concussion' Premiere (Photos) Brooks, who currently stars in “Concussion” opposite Will Smith, is...
- 1/4/2016
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Update: The studio is now in talks to add Gugu Mbatha-Raw to the concussion cast, as she is getting strong notices in Toronto for Beyond The Lights.
Sony Pictures is setting Albert Brooks to join the untitled project on football concussions that so far stars Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. Parkland’s Peter Landesman is writing and directing, based on the GQ article Game Brain that Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio set up to produce at the studio, along with Shuman Company’s David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman.
Brooks will play Cyril Wecht, the chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the suicides of former NFL superstars Dave Duerson and Junior Seau. The NFL fought this tooth and nail, but ultimately reached a $765 million settlement in the...
Sony Pictures is setting Albert Brooks to join the untitled project on football concussions that so far stars Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. Parkland’s Peter Landesman is writing and directing, based on the GQ article Game Brain that Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio set up to produce at the studio, along with Shuman Company’s David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman.
Brooks will play Cyril Wecht, the chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the suicides of former NFL superstars Dave Duerson and Junior Seau. The NFL fought this tooth and nail, but ultimately reached a $765 million settlement in the...
- 9/9/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Discover the ’10 Rules for Sleeping Around’ in a new clip, featuring Wendi McLendon-Covey and Michael McKean, titled ‘Emma Cooney, here I come.’ The clip was released in support of the theatrical release of the romantic comedy, which Screen Media Films will distribute on April 4. Besides McLendon-Covey and McKean, ’10 Rules for Sleeping Around’ also features Jesse Bradford, Tammin Sursok, Chris Marquette and Virginia Williams. The film was written and directed by Leslie Greif, who also produced it with Harry Basil, Vince Maggio and Herb Nanas. Screen Media Films has released the following synopsis for ’10 Rules for Sleeping Around’: 10 Rules for Sleeping Around tells the wildly amusing [ Read More ]
The post Discover the 10 Rules for Sleeping Around in New Clip appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Discover the 10 Rules for Sleeping Around in New Clip appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/15/2014
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Exclusive: Albert Brooks has been set to star with Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain and Alfred Molina in A Most Violent Year, the J.C. Chandor-directed drama that was just acquired for domestic distribution by A24 at the Sundance Film Festival. Shooting on the film is just getting underway. Co-financed by Participant Media and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the drama takes place in New York in 1981, a year in which the city had one of its highest tallies of violent crime. An immigrant and his family are trying to grow their heating oil business and their ambition collides with the crime element. Related: Sundance: A24 Acquiring ‘A Most Violent Year’ Brooks will play Isaacs’ character’s attorney. The film is produced by Before The Door’s Neal Dodson and Washington Square Films’ Anna Gerb and Chandor, the filmmaker’s partners on All Is Lost and Margin Call. Participant’s Jeff Skoll...
- 1/27/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Exclusive: Already booked to reprise in the Finding Nemo sequel, Albert Brooks has just signed on to the voice cast of The Little Prince. He joins James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Benicio Del Toro and Paul Giamatti in Paramount’s animated pic. Brooks will play one of the film’s villains. Brooks, who played the heavy in Drive and most recently starred in This Is 40, has been driving Twitter traffic with a feed that made national news. He mostly uses Twitter to make humorous observations — like the recent one about the record-setting swim from Florida to Cuba: “Diana Nyad is going to be so pissed when she finds out there was a flight”– but Brooks got serious and prescient with a suggestion that the U.S. and Russia join hands to go over and take the chemical weapons out of Syria, among other things. It became the very thing those nations began discussing,...
- 9/12/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Exclusive: Albert Brooks has closed a fat deal to reprise the voice Marlin in Finding Nemo 2 for Disney‘s Pixar. The sequel has been long in the works; Deadline told you last July that the studio got the original’s helmer Andrew Stanton back in the fold (I’d heard that the studio will also give him another live-action shot after his disastrous live-action debut on John Carter), and Ellen DeGeneres came back shortly after. It took much longer to hook Brooks, who continued his renaissance as an actor in the Judd Apatow-directed This Is 40, following his turn as bad-ass Bernie Rose in Drive. Brooks is also working on another novel, this coming after his first, Twenty Thirty: The Real Story Of What Happened To America, became a bestseller. It’s unclear though when he will next write and direct another one of those personal comedy vehicles...
- 2/12/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
The full list of television winners and nominees at the 2013 Producers Guild of America Awards is as follows: The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
American Horror Story (Brad Buecker, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Chip Vucelich, Alexis Martin Woodall)
The Dust Bowl (Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Julie Dunfey)
Game Change (Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Jay Roach, Amy Sayres, Steven Shareshian, Danny Strong) - Winner
Hatfields & McCoys (Barry Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Leslie Greif, Herb Nanas)
Sherlock (Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Beryl Vertue, Sue Vertue) The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Breaking Bad (Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart (more)...
American Horror Story (Brad Buecker, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Chip Vucelich, Alexis Martin Woodall)
The Dust Bowl (Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Julie Dunfey)
Game Change (Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Jay Roach, Amy Sayres, Steven Shareshian, Danny Strong) - Winner
Hatfields & McCoys (Barry Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Leslie Greif, Herb Nanas)
Sherlock (Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Beryl Vertue, Sue Vertue) The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Breaking Bad (Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart (more)...
- 1/27/2013
- by By Christian Tobin
- Digital Spy
Oh yes it still hurts that Ben Affleck was not given a Best Director Oscar nomination, yet his fantastic film "Argo" continues its ascension to Oscar glory! The film took home the top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards taking home the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
So guess which film will win the Oscar Best Picture? Yup, it will be "Argo!" Why? Well, Hollywood really loves movies about them and "Argo" is about a movie of a fake movie in order to help free some Americans trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis.
And, the PGA award is a significant Academy Awards precursor. Only seven times in 24 years has the PGA winner failed to win a Best Picture Oscar. So "Argo" has a strong chance.
I'm also happy that "Searching for Sugar Man" won the Documentary category, and not so happy...
So guess which film will win the Oscar Best Picture? Yup, it will be "Argo!" Why? Well, Hollywood really loves movies about them and "Argo" is about a movie of a fake movie in order to help free some Americans trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis.
And, the PGA award is a significant Academy Awards precursor. Only seven times in 24 years has the PGA winner failed to win a Best Picture Oscar. So "Argo" has a strong chance.
I'm also happy that "Searching for Sugar Man" won the Documentary category, and not so happy...
- 1/27/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Earlier this week The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced the nominations for their annual awards for theatrical motion picture, animated motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 2013 Producers Guild Awards.
This was an incredible year for films, and most of the movies nominated here deserve to be. Out of all the films listed here, I'd like to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook take the top prize for motion picture, Paranorman for animated film, Game of Thrones for TV drama, and Curb Your Enthusiasm for TV Comedy. In case you missed them, here they are! Look them over and let us know what films you'd like to see win!
Ten nominations in the theatrical motion picture category include:
Argo (Warner Bros.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)
Django Unchained (The Weinstein Company)
Life of Pi (20th Century Fox)
Lincoln (DreamWorks)
Les Misérables (Universal)
Moonrise Kingdom...
This was an incredible year for films, and most of the movies nominated here deserve to be. Out of all the films listed here, I'd like to see Zero Dark Thirty or Silver Linings Playbook take the top prize for motion picture, Paranorman for animated film, Game of Thrones for TV drama, and Curb Your Enthusiasm for TV Comedy. In case you missed them, here they are! Look them over and let us know what films you'd like to see win!
Ten nominations in the theatrical motion picture category include:
Argo (Warner Bros.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)
Django Unchained (The Weinstein Company)
Life of Pi (20th Century Fox)
Lincoln (DreamWorks)
Les Misérables (Universal)
Moonrise Kingdom...
- 1/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has announced the nominees in both motion picture and television for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards. "Skyfall" made the cut as one of the nominees of the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.
Winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Here's the complete list of nominees (including television); for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Theatrical Motion Picture Nominees
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
.Argo. (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
.Beasts of the Southern Wild. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
.Django Unchained. (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
.Les Misérables. (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
.Life of Pi. (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter,...
Winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Here's the complete list of nominees (including television); for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:
Theatrical Motion Picture Nominees
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
.Argo. (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
.Beasts of the Southern Wild. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
.Django Unchained. (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
.Les Misérables. (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
.Life of Pi. (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter,...
- 1/2/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
No Dark Knight Rises, Batman fans.
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in November 2012.
All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and Bully (Stanley Kramer Award).
The 2013 Producers Guild Awards Chair is Michael De Luca.
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in November 2012.
All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and Bully (Stanley Kramer Award).
The 2013 Producers Guild Awards Chair is Michael De Luca.
- 1/2/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Producers Guild of America has announced its nominations for best productions of the year, in what is often looked to as an indicator for how the Academy Awards may go.
The guild selected 10 films — most of them common guesses for the group that could make up the Oscar list of the best films of 2012: Argo, Lincoln, Les Misérables, among others.
The one surprise: Skyfall. No 007 film has ever cracked the Best Picture list, but if this nomination is any indication, that could change when the Oscar nods are revealed Jan. 10.
Check out the full list …
The Darryl F. Zanuck...
The guild selected 10 films — most of them common guesses for the group that could make up the Oscar list of the best films of 2012: Argo, Lincoln, Les Misérables, among others.
The one surprise: Skyfall. No 007 film has ever cracked the Best Picture list, but if this nomination is any indication, that could change when the Oscar nods are revealed Jan. 10.
Check out the full list …
The Darryl F. Zanuck...
- 1/2/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
History entered the original scripted arena in a big way last night. The premiere of the cable network’s mini-series Hatfields & McCoys drew a staggering 13.9 million total viewers, 4.8 million adults 18-48 and 5.8 million adults 25-54 from 9-11 Pm to become the the No.1 non-sports telecast in ad supported cable television history. The combined viewership for Part 1′s two airings was 17 million. “With all the success we have had at History, we felt strongly for some time that we should own historical drama, and in true History fashion, we have done it, with – pardon the pun – guns ablazin!,” said History’s president and general manger Nancy Dubuc. Hatfields & McCoys, a three-part, six-hour miniseries starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, tells the true American story of a legendary family feud – one that spanned decades and nearly launched a war between Kentucky and West Virginia. Parts two and three premiere tonight and tomorrow night.
- 5/29/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
With an Academy Award winning heavy hitter and a holiday weekend, TV gives the big screen a run for it’s money with this Feature feel mini-series. It.s the true American story of a legendary family feud . one that spanned decades and nearly launched a war between Kentucky and West Virginia. Hatfields & McCoys, a new three-part, six-hour scripted miniseries, showcases an all-star cast led by Academy® Award winner Kevin Costner and Golden Globe® nominee Bill Paxton starring as Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy, respectively. The mini series premieres on May 28, 29 and 30, at 9 p.m. on History®.
Hatfields & McCoys is the story of a clash of clans that evoked great passion, vengeance, courage, sacrifice, crimes and accusations, and includes a cast of characters that changed the families and the history of the region forever. The Hatfield-McCoy saga begins with Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy. Close friends and comrades...
Hatfields & McCoys is the story of a clash of clans that evoked great passion, vengeance, courage, sacrifice, crimes and accusations, and includes a cast of characters that changed the families and the history of the region forever. The Hatfield-McCoy saga begins with Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy. Close friends and comrades...
- 5/21/2012
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Albert Brooks is negotiating to join the untitled comedy that Judd Apatow wrote and will direct for Universal Pictures. The film will star Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, who are reprising the roles they played in Knocked Up. I'm told that Brooks is in talks to play Rudd's father in a film that will also feature Megan Fox. It's an interesting pairing, Brooks and Apatow, because they are both writer/directors whose comedies have a very auteurish voice. Brooks most recently played a mobster you don't want to cross in Drive, the Nicolas Winding Refn-directed adaptation of the James Sallis novel that stars Ryan Gosling. Brooks also has a May publication date on 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, a novel that will be published by St. Martin's Press. That book takes a serious look at what might happen in 20 years, when cancer has been...
- 3/17/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in the boxing drama “Pound for Pound,” based on a book by F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became the hit “Million Dollar Baby.” The film follows the two stories of an aged former fighter who struggles with depression, age, and the death of his son, as well as the struggles and rise of a young Latino boxer, and how their two lives eventually intertwine. Ron Shelton is writing and directing, with Elie Samaha executive producing. Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via Greif Company. “Pound For Poud” is hoping to begin shooting in the beginning [...]...
- 8/22/2009
- by Costa Koutsoutis
- ShockYa
Million Dollar Billy Bob?
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing drama based on a novel from F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became "Million Dollar Baby."
Ron Shelton will write and direct the indie film, which Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via their Greif Company banner. Elie Samaha will exec produce.
The project centers on the parallel lives of a retired and widowed boxer beset by depression after his grandson is killed in a car accident and an up-and-coming teenage Latino fighter from a difficult background. The lives of the two intersect in unexpected ways. Thornton will play the retired boxer, while producers are out to cast on the younger role. The project aims to shoot in the first quarter of 2010.
Producers say that despite the dark undertones, there remains an optimistic note to the pic. "Unlike 'Million Dollar Baby,...
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing drama based on a novel from F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became "Million Dollar Baby."
Ron Shelton will write and direct the indie film, which Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via their Greif Company banner. Elie Samaha will exec produce.
The project centers on the parallel lives of a retired and widowed boxer beset by depression after his grandson is killed in a car accident and an up-and-coming teenage Latino fighter from a difficult background. The lives of the two intersect in unexpected ways. Thornton will play the retired boxer, while producers are out to cast on the younger role. The project aims to shoot in the first quarter of 2010.
Producers say that despite the dark undertones, there remains an optimistic note to the pic. "Unlike 'Million Dollar Baby,...
- 8/20/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chevy Chase returns to center screen and Bucharest backlots play Hoboken, N.J., in "Funny Money". The laugher about a meek middle manager who finds a life-changing fortune takes a while to hit its stride, but in its best stretches, it offers deliriously spirited farce. The cast, along with the promotional efforts of timeshare operator Consolidated Resorts, could entice older audiences to theaters, but the film, which never quite shakes off a flat, low-budget look, will find its true payday in video.
The animated credits that open "Money" set the tone of retro silliness for this comedy without an agenda. Chase still is game, and a perfect fit, as milquetoast Henry Perkins, a longtime employee of the Feldman Wax Fruit Co. Henry's not bitter that Feldman himself (Robert Loggia) shot down his visionary bruised-banana concept a decade earlier. He's not angry that his wife, Carol Penelope Ann Miller), mocks him in couples therapy for being a creature of habit. A sharper shrink might note a bit of projecting on her part: Repressed and proper, Carol's the sculptor of voluptuous, oversize nudes that she's afraid to submit to galleries. But however uncomplaining Henry may be, after a subway jostle with a Romanian thug makes him the possessor of a briefcase containing $5 million in cash, he doesn't hesitate for a second to plan his and Carol's getaway to distant shores.
Besides Carol's reluctance to break the rules, Henry's imminent birthday celebration complicates their would-be escape. The couple and their best friends, Vic and Gina (the well-cast Christopher McDonald, Alex Meneses), attempt to pass themselves off in fictional configurations to a couple of comical cops nipping at their heels. The ultra-slow-dawning Slater (a very funny Kevin Sussman) arrives on behalf of the NYPD to tell the inebriated Carol that her dead husband and his briefcase have been found in the East River. Armand Assante, who should do more comedy, all but steals the show as the toothpick-chewing Genero, a crooked Hoboken detective who thinks the cash-rich Henry is a male prostitute.
The comedy of errors grows more tangled as dozens of party guests pour into the Perkins townhouse, a palatial pad whose size is more a function of genre requirements than a reflection of real estate reality. There's plenty of fine comic timing and deliciously deadpan delivery on display, but not all the supporting performances are up to par. Among the central roles, Miller's drunk ditz would have been far funnier if she had started off on a quieter note. But helmer Leslie Greif lets her mug it up well before her character starts boozing it up.
Adapting Ray Cooney's London stage hit, Greif ("Keys to Tulsa") and his co-scripter, Harry Basil, keep the action light and swift-moving. But the most inspired notion here -- the idea of covering up the convoluted charade as a murder-mystery party game -- could have been mined for more laughs.
FUNNY MONEY
ThinkFilm
An FWE Picture Co. production in association with Tobebo Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG
Credits:
Director: Leslie Greif
Screenwriters: Harry Basil, Leslie Greif
Based on the play by: Ray Cooney
Producers: Herb Nanas, Brad Siegel, Leslie Greif
Executive producers: Jeff Franklin, Philip von Alvensleben, Harry Basil, Ray Cooney
Director of photography: Bill Butler
Production designer: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Music: Andrea Morricone
Co-producers: Pat McCorkle, Peter Perotta
Costume designer: Donna Zakowska
Editors: Stephen Adrianson, Terry Kelley, Stephen Lovejoy
Cast:
Henry Perkins: Chevy Chase
Carol Perkins: Penelope Ann Miller
Genero: Armand Assante
Sol Feldman: Robert Loggia
Vic: Christopher McDonald
Gina: Alex Meneses
Detective Slater: Kevin Sussman
Angel: Guy Torry
MM Virginia: Rebecca Wisocky.
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The animated credits that open "Money" set the tone of retro silliness for this comedy without an agenda. Chase still is game, and a perfect fit, as milquetoast Henry Perkins, a longtime employee of the Feldman Wax Fruit Co. Henry's not bitter that Feldman himself (Robert Loggia) shot down his visionary bruised-banana concept a decade earlier. He's not angry that his wife, Carol Penelope Ann Miller), mocks him in couples therapy for being a creature of habit. A sharper shrink might note a bit of projecting on her part: Repressed and proper, Carol's the sculptor of voluptuous, oversize nudes that she's afraid to submit to galleries. But however uncomplaining Henry may be, after a subway jostle with a Romanian thug makes him the possessor of a briefcase containing $5 million in cash, he doesn't hesitate for a second to plan his and Carol's getaway to distant shores.
Besides Carol's reluctance to break the rules, Henry's imminent birthday celebration complicates their would-be escape. The couple and their best friends, Vic and Gina (the well-cast Christopher McDonald, Alex Meneses), attempt to pass themselves off in fictional configurations to a couple of comical cops nipping at their heels. The ultra-slow-dawning Slater (a very funny Kevin Sussman) arrives on behalf of the NYPD to tell the inebriated Carol that her dead husband and his briefcase have been found in the East River. Armand Assante, who should do more comedy, all but steals the show as the toothpick-chewing Genero, a crooked Hoboken detective who thinks the cash-rich Henry is a male prostitute.
The comedy of errors grows more tangled as dozens of party guests pour into the Perkins townhouse, a palatial pad whose size is more a function of genre requirements than a reflection of real estate reality. There's plenty of fine comic timing and deliciously deadpan delivery on display, but not all the supporting performances are up to par. Among the central roles, Miller's drunk ditz would have been far funnier if she had started off on a quieter note. But helmer Leslie Greif lets her mug it up well before her character starts boozing it up.
Adapting Ray Cooney's London stage hit, Greif ("Keys to Tulsa") and his co-scripter, Harry Basil, keep the action light and swift-moving. But the most inspired notion here -- the idea of covering up the convoluted charade as a murder-mystery party game -- could have been mined for more laughs.
FUNNY MONEY
ThinkFilm
An FWE Picture Co. production in association with Tobebo Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG
Credits:
Director: Leslie Greif
Screenwriters: Harry Basil, Leslie Greif
Based on the play by: Ray Cooney
Producers: Herb Nanas, Brad Siegel, Leslie Greif
Executive producers: Jeff Franklin, Philip von Alvensleben, Harry Basil, Ray Cooney
Director of photography: Bill Butler
Production designer: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Music: Andrea Morricone
Co-producers: Pat McCorkle, Peter Perotta
Costume designer: Donna Zakowska
Editors: Stephen Adrianson, Terry Kelley, Stephen Lovejoy
Cast:
Henry Perkins: Chevy Chase
Carol Perkins: Penelope Ann Miller
Genero: Armand Assante
Sol Feldman: Robert Loggia
Vic: Christopher McDonald
Gina: Alex Meneses
Detective Slater: Kevin Sussman
Angel: Guy Torry
MM Virginia: Rebecca Wisocky.
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sheetal Sheth is starring in Shangri-La Entertainment's untitled Albert Brooks project. Brooks stars, writes and directs, while Herb Nanas produces. Nanas also produced Brooks' The Muse, Lost in America and Defending Your Life. Executive producing is JoAnn Perritano. The story line is being kept under wraps, though Sheth plays a well-educated Delhi woman. The movie is expected to be released under Shangri-La's new distribution deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment and tentatively is scheduled to bow next year. The company is run by film financier Steven Bing (The Polar Express). Sheth starred in ABCD and American Chai. She also appeared in NBC's The Princess and the Marine. Sheth is repped by Abrams Artists and Edie Robb of CMG.
- 1/25/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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